Heroes
by Bumblebee'sGuardian
Summary: When Vanessa Jane, business partner of Bruce Wayne and part-time field agent of Batman arrives in Central City, she is there to arrange an alliance between the Flash, the Arrow and the Batman. As she aids Team Flash, she is thrust further into the world of superheroes and villains. Danger lurks around every corner, especially with Dr. Wells who she finds herself oddly drawn to.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This begins after the events of the ARROW/FLASH Crossover and slowly becomes AU from there. Will follow most Flash episodes up to a point. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Vanessa Jane stepped out of the taxi, tipping the driver generously before making her way up the stairs. The Central City Police Department was busy as ever, cops going in and out of the building constantly. She strolled in without a problem, the security surprisingly lax for a building that had only weeks before had a hostage situation take place. To be honest, she had expected more.

Captain Singh met her in the lobby. "Ms. Jane. Thank you for coming."

"Sorry I couldn't come sooner. Business has been crazy lately." Vanessa shook his hand.

The captain merely nodded. "You came sooner than I expected anyway. Gotham is a busy place..."

Vanessa smiled. "Very. Mr. Wayne sends his regards by the way. He is working with Commissioner Gordon right now to similarly update the security for the police in Gotham."

Captain Singh frowned. "I thought you ran Jane Security Solutions."

"I do. Mr. Wayne hired me to run the security line of Wayne Enterprises separately from the main hub. That way it can investigate internal affairs without corruption. Mr. Wayne and I are co-founders, but I have sole control of the company. Makes legal matters less messy..."

Singh nodded, gesturing for Vanessa to walk with him. "The city gave us a bit of a budget to work with but not a lot. Do you think we can work with it?"

Vanessa shrugged. "I'd need to see the numbers and survey the building to give you an accurate account."

Singh nodded. "I'll show you the numbers in my office. After that, I'll arrange a tour of the building for you and then we can talk whenever about what you can do for us."  
"Excellent. I'll do the best I can for you, Captain. I promise you that." Vanessa smiled. So far so good.

* * *

Barry Allen entered the precinct a couple of minutes after 9, a cup of hot coffee in hand. Joe shot him a look. "I know, I know. Still late. Do we have anything?"

"Nothing at the moment. The Captain is in his office with a security consultant about fixing things up around here." Joe glanced at the office where the shades had been drawn tight. "Some woman from Jane Security Solutions."

Barry nearly choked on his coffee. "What?!"

Joe gave Barry a strange look. "What's your problem?"

"There's only one woman who does checks for Jane Security Solutions and that's Vanessa Jane herself." Barry looked at Joe incredulously. "You know about her, right?"

Joe shrugged. "I'm guessing she runs the company."

Barry grinned. "That's not even the half of it. Remember the Cambiotron I would always ask for at Christmas?"

Joe nodded. "I remember you never stopped asking for it..."

Barry flushed, but continued. "She created it when she was fourteen and sold the idea to Trigon Toys and made a killing off of it. She put herself through college, interned with Wayne Enterprises, and saved Bruce Wayne twice: once from a frame job by one of his directors and the other time from the Joker himself."

Joe scoffed. "Pretty bird there went toe-to-toe with the Joker?"

"And won," said Barry, "She's been Wayne's security advisor and security head ever since. And she still comes out with a new Cambiotron design each year." Barry stared at the office. "You know she got to work with Batman and Robin too?"

Joe sighed. "She's your brain crush, isn't she?"

Barry stopped. "Brain crush?"

"The woman your brain would marry if your heart wasn't already set on another woman. Namely Iris."

Barry gave Joe a look which the cop pointedly ignored. "She's not-"

"Who's not what?" Asked Iris as she walked up to Joe's desk.

Joe smiled as she have him a hug. "Barry's got a brain crush on Vanessa Jane, our security consultant."

Iris' jaw dropped. "Vanessa Jane is here?!"

Joe crossed his arms, looking at the two youngsters. "Am I the only one who didn't know who she was?"

"Let's test that, shall we?" Iris turned to Eddie as he neared his desk. "Eddie, you know who Vanessa Jane is, right?"

Eddie snorted. "Who doesn't? She's been in the news a lot since the Joker incident in Gotham. She's Batman's most staunch supporter next to Gotham's Commissioner."

Iris turned to her dad. "Case in point: you are the only one who didn't know her."

Joe scowled. "Shouldn't you be scrounging up some paper to go and interview her for your blog?"

Iris scowled playfully back at her father. "My laptop, yes. Distract her for me if she comes out before I'm back?"

Joe waved her off. "We'll be here."

Iris ran off with a smile and the three men exchanged smiles. They knew Iris too well.

The door to the captain's office opened and the captain came out with Vanessa Jane who put on a set of glasses and began scanning the room. "So," said the captain, "What do you think?"

"I think you could use a lot of help but your budget sucks so I'll arrange it so I can pay off whatever isn't covered. Just because you don't have the budget, doesn't mean you shouldn't have the proper security you need. I'll still need to tour the building." Vanessa scanned the whole room, her eyes settled on the trio. Barry flinched, surprised by what he felt behind the gaze: extreme curiosity. "I'd also like to interview those three if you don't mind."

The captain nodded. "Go ahead. I'm sure one of them would be willing to give you a tour as well." He turned to the trio. "West, Thawne, Allen, Ms. Jane would like to talk to you. If one of you could give her a tour of the building-"

"I will!" The words flew out of Barry's mouth before he could stop himself. Joe groaned next to him.

To his relief, Ms. Jane smiled and removed her glasses, walking towards the trio. "Thank you, Mister...?"

"Allen. Barry Allen. I'm a CSI here."

Ms. Jane shook his hand. "Well thank you, Mr. Allen. I appreciate it." She turned to Eddie and Joe. "West and Thawne?"

"Detective Joe West." Joe proffered his hand which she shook politely. "This is my partner, Eddie Thawne. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jane."

Ms. Jane shook Eddie's hand as well. "Please, call me Vanessa. I've never been one for formality. I understand the two of you were present during the hostage situation."

Joe nodded. "As was my daughter Iris. She said she'd be back in a minute. If you don't mind, she'd like to interview you for her blog."

The captain rolled his eyes behind Ms. Jane's back but she only nodded. "I'd be happy to if she doesn't mind me interviewing her..."

Joe smiled. "Would you like to talk here or somewhere a little less loud?"

"That would be fantastic. Is there a conference room we can borrow, Captain Singh?"

The captain gestured down the hall. "It's open for the next hour."

"Thank you, Captain. We shouldn't be too long." Ms. Jane smiled again before turning to Barry. "How about you wait here for me and let Detective West's daughter know where we went? Then you can give me the tour after the meeting..."

Barry nodded dumbly. "Sh-sure I can do that."

The Captain, Joe, and Eddie just shook their heads at Barry who turned bright red as Ms. Jane headed towards the conference room. Yeah, he had a brain crush all right...

* * *

Vanessa was right of course that the meeting would not take long. The longest part by far was the interview by Detective West's daughter, Iris West. She had many questions about Vanessa, particularly about her involvement with Batman and Robin.

"I can't believe you're friends with them," said Iris as they all left the conference room, "Are Batman and Robin really as impressive as the rumors say?"

Vanessa merely smiled, remembering some of the impossible things done by the Dynamic Duo. "Let's just say, the rumors sometimes fall short..."

Iris grinned. "You are so luck."

"Not from what can tell," said Vanessa as she approached the desk where Barry Allen sat waiting for them, "You've met the Flash. That's fairly impressive in itself. I didn't believe people with superpowers existed until I read your posts..."

Detective Thawne huffed. "Superpowers or not, he's not someone I trust. He's a vigilante."

"Who has saved your life, mine and many others. He's not evil," retorted Iris.

"He's dangerous," said Thawne. He and Iris shared a look which left Vanessa merely guessing as to what had happened between them and the Flash.

"So is the Batman and I've got him on speed dial," said Vanessa, earning a surprised look from the trio along with Mr. Allen, "What?"

"You have the Batman on speed dial?" Said Iris, her eyes wide as saucers and her expression eager.

"I live in Gotham. It comes in handy." Vanessa turned to Barry Allen. "That tour?"

"Um, yeah. Where would you like to start, Ms. Jane? We could start in the basement and work upwards from there."

Vanessa smiled. "Call me Vanessa. And I think starting from the basement up sounds good." She returned her attention to Detective West, Iris and Detective Thawne. "Thank you for speaking with me. It's been wonderful talking with you and I hope we can discuss matters again soon."

"Likewise," said Detective West, shaking her hand again.

Vanessa turned back to Barry Allen who immediately started regaling her with the precinct's history as they headed for the basement. Finally, she might have a moment alone with Barry Allen to discuss more than just security matters.

* * *

Barry had led Vanessa Jane up to his lab, enjoying every minute as he talked with the woman. She was intelligent, brilliant and much funnier than he had expected. However, she kept glancing around impatiently whenever there were other precinct staff present, seemingly hesitant to bring something up while others were present. On a normal day, he would rack it up to general impatience, but this woman worked for the Batman. She was hiding something about her visit and his gut told him to be very careful. That didn't mean he couldn't ask questions though. "So you know the Batman, right?"

"And Robin. Great kid. He taught be how to throw batarangs in exchange for me tutoring him in science. He's working on his criminology degree now at Gotham University."

"And you work for them or Mr. Wayne?"

Vanessa smiled coolly. "Both and neither. I work with them all but usually as an independent, third party. I keep Mr. Wayne's security in check and help with Research and Design. From there, Mr. Wayne allows me to work as an independent with and alongside Wayne Enterprises through Jane Security Solutions. As for Batman, I run down leads and do research for him among other things. In turn, I get the chance to help the World's Greatest Detective."

"And who are you working for while you're here in Central City?" Asked Barry.

"Both." Barry went rigid. "I came to help with security for your police department on behalf of Mr. Wayne and Jane Security Solutions. I also came to talk to you on behalf of Batman."

"Why me?" Barry watched her warily as she went to his desk.

"He wants to make sure the Flash isn't a threat. And from what I can tell, you aren't much of a threat to the Bat."

Barry stood stock still. "What are you talking about?"

Vanessa smiled, leaning against his work desk. "I'm not dumb, Mr. Allen. The burns on your shoes told me all I needed to know. Friction burns as a result of running at impossible speeds I believe."

Barry looked down at his shoes, glancing at the burns from when he'd run to work that day. There was a bit of ash on the floor wherever he stepped. Part of him panicked, scrambling to come up with an excuse. "Actually I was working the scene of an arson yesterday and-" Ms. Jane's eyes glittered with amusement, a knowing look plastered on her face. "And I'm just digging my grave deeper, aren't I?"

"Pretty much. Truth be told, I knew before I even came in here." Barry looked up sharply and Vanessa just chuckled. "There's a reason why Batman is the World's Greatest Detective..."

"How?" The word blurted out of Barry's mouth before he could stop himself.

Vanessa smiled, glancing at her watch. "How about we discussed this over dinner? All information. No secrets. And if you're lucky, he may want to even talk with you..."

Barry just stared. "I-"

"You need some time to think about it. I know. I did too after the first time." Vanessa pulled out a business card and handed it to him. Barry took it silently. "And don't worry. You heroes need to stick together. I'm just making sure you guys don't end up brawling it out if the world needs all of you."

Barry watched her leave, fingering the business card. He needed to talk to his team not to mention Joe.

* * *

Vanessa slipped into the SUV as it pulled up, the vehicle headed back to her hotel room. "You're early, Bruce. Not that I'm complaining."

Bruce sat next to her in the back, Alfred driving in front. "Commissioner Gordon was very cooperative considering our previous meetings. He was given a perfectly sized budget for the security changes they would like."

Vanessa nodded. "Central City is skimping. They don't know what's happening in their own backyard."

"And the Flash?" Bruce's voice stiffened.

"Barry Allen, you mean? Dangerous for criminals only. He's pretty focused on justice and morality. He's highly intelligent. He called me out on being there for more than a security check before I could say anything to him on Batman's behalf."

Bruce nodded. "And you invited him to dinner?"

"I did. He has to think about it though..."

"Good. He has a level head about that anyways." Bruce's face remained impassive. "And the meeting for tonight?"

"Mister Queen will be there. I have everything arranged. I told him business attire. He's unaware of the full arrangement."

"Sufficient," said Bruce. He looked forward. "You're sure this is a good idea?"

"I know that if we have more than one alien already on this planet, there could be more out there and they may not all be so friendly. I trust J'onn and Clark as do you. And I think being able to trust a few other heroes out there will help if the world ever really needs heroes." Vanessa sighed. "And like I told Mr. Allen, I'd rather you guys duke it out now than later when we need a team of heroes to save us."

Bruce nodded. "I pray you're right."

* * *

Barry stood in front of his team, each face as solemn and concerned as the next. "So what do we do?"

"Well as much as I disagree with Batman and his tactics in Gotham, the Commissioner there seems to trust him." Joe had his arms crossed. "I think you should go."

"In that opinion, we are in agreement, Detective," said Dr. Wells, "And this may give us a chance to keep Batman off your tail. If he thought you were a threat..."

"He'd make sure I was taken care of." Barry sighed. "So go?"

"Go," said Joe, "As far as I'm concerned, Batman is someone you want on your side. Not against you."

Barry nodded. "I'll call Ms. Jane then."

"Barry," started Dr. Wells. The speedster turned to him. "Like, Mr. Queen, the Batman may be on the side of justice, but he can be very, very dangerous. Be careful."

"I will, Dr. Wells." Barry walked out of the lab, fingering the business card thoughtfully as he began to dial the number. "Vanessa? About that dinner..."


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Tada! Finally got this done! Chapter 2 is a actually part 1 of a 2 parter. I was going to post it all at once, but then I realized how long it was becoming so I've split it into 2 chapters just to be safe. Part 2 will be up as soon as I have it finished. Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated!_**

**_-BG_**

* * *

Barry arrived at the hotel just shortly after six and when to the front desk. "Um, Vanessa Jane called to say I'd be coming..."  
"Room 1001. Only room on your right once you're out of the elevator." The receptionist pointed to the elevator and handed him a key. "You'll need this to access the floor. Remember to return it when you leave."

Barry nodded. "Will do." He headed towards the elevator and inserting the key, noting that the 10th floor was the penthouse suites. Interesting. He fidgeted with his tie as the elevator rose.

When the doors finally opened, Barry headed straight for the room, barely glancing at the one across the hall. He had barely knocked when Vanessa flung the door open and Barry froze. She was clad in a maroon dress with a long slit going up to her upper thigh. "Wow. I feel so under dressed now…"

Vanessa chuckled. "Thanks. Come on it, Mr. Allen." She stepped to the side so he could enter. "Everyone else is already here."

"Everyone else?" Barry stepped in hesitantly as Vanessa closed the door behind him. He continued into the suite and stopped, startled to find both Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen already seated at the dining table. "Oliver?"

Oliver looked up at him sharply and then at Bruce, standing quickly as if to greet Barry though his intention was clearly to make himself ready for a fight or flight situation. "Barry. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon after your visit last week…"

"Same." Barry glanced at Vanessa who had taken up a position just behind Bruce Wayne.

"My apologies for the deception," said Vanessa, "Bruce wanted to meet with both of you and this seemed like the simplest way to do it. Besides, the subject matter should be about the same."

Barry and Oliver exchanged a look. Oliver crossed his arms. "What's all of this about?"

Vanessa winked at Barry and stuck her fingers next to her head, emulating pointed ears, before pointing at Bruce. Barry instantly made the connection. "You're the Batman, aren't you, Mr. Wayne?"

Oliver's defensive posture immediately dropped. "What?"

Wayne shot Vanessa a look that she merely smirked at and ignored. "As Vanessa just told you, yes." His hand moved in the blink of an eye and both Oliver and Barry found themselves catching the batarangs that Wayne had tossed their way. "Please. Sit."

Barry looked at Oliver who was admiring the batarang in his hands. The Emerald Archer shrugged and the duo took their seats at the table.

"I'll leave you three to talk," said Vanessa, moving to leave.

"Vanessa, stay." Vanessa looked at Wayne calmly. "I want you to moderate."

"One moment then." Vanessa left briefly, returning after a few short minutes. "Sorry. Taking an extra precaution."

"You changed the room numbers," said Wayne calmly. Vanessa nodded. "It's rented under the shell company, yes?"

"Yep." Vanessa slid into the seat between Barry and Wayne, looking entirely pleased with herself.

Wayne gave her a quick look before returning his attention to Barry and Oliver. "I'll be brief. Due to the events that have taken place in both your cities over the past few years, I have taken an interest in both of you. Vanessa has assured me that you can be trusted. However, I know that trust is a two way street and must be earned on both sides of the scale. I wish to ensure that trust in any way I can."

Bruce stood. "Gentlemen, the increase in crime specifically those of an unusual nature over the past decade has been colossal. The threats are getting bigger and the fight against them harder. After the events that occurred eight years ago at Wayne Enterprises, Vanessa has advised me to make contact with other heroes and vigilantes to arrange a chain of communication and an alliance should any one threat prove too great to any single one of us."

"What kind of threats?" said Oliver.

"Namely an alien invasion." Barry and Oliver looked at Vanessa oddly. "Seriously. Superman is from the lost planet of Krypton. Bruce and I have met a Martian already, who is a good guy for the record. It is not too hard to picture the possibility of an alien invasion occurring now that we know that life truly does exist elsewhere in the universe."

"That doesn't explain why you came to us," said Oliver.

"You both possess unique qualities within you," said Wayne. He turned to Barry. "Mr. Allen, you possess a strong moral compass. It guides you to make the right decisions over the correct decisions. You possess bravery, racing into danger not fearlessly but purposefully. Most of all though, you possess an undying sense of hope. While you can fail, while the world around you may fall to pieces, you still hold onto your optimism, your hope."

Wayne turned to Oliver. "You, Mr. Queen, possess great humanity. As much as you fear you have lost your own, you uphold it to the best of your abilities and instill it in those around you. You are also bold. Your boldness strengthens you, your actions and the actions of your team. Your most important possession however is your courage. It wills you to make decisions beyond yourself, pushing you beyond everything you have lost to fight for what you have gained and for what you seek to uphold."

Barry found himself merely staring at Mr. Wayne. Oliver was doing very much the same next to him. For once, the Emerald Archer was at a loss for words.

"What he's trying to say is that those qualities are exactly what a team needs," said Vanessa quietly, "And with threats great or small, we know that you guys are willing to do what it takes to save both our world and everyone that lives in it." She hesitated. "And honestly, the world needs heroes right about now anyway."

Oliver let out a small sigh. "What do you expect us to do?"

Bruce Wayne leaned back in his chair. "Merely keep in contact. There'll be a chain of communication running through Vanessa and myself. Should a major threat arise, we would meet to face it. If there is a threat to your own cities that you feel is too great for your own means, we would come to assist you in whatever way we could."

"And likewise for you if you needed help?" asked Barry. A small look crossed Bruce Wayne's face only to vanish seconds later. "I mean, if you ever did need it…"

"Yes." Wayne gave Barry an approving glance. "I understand if you're uncertain about this, Mr. Queen. I don't expect you to immediately accept my offer. I advise that you both think it over and discuss it with your teams."

"How long do I have to think it over?"

"As long as you wish. Vanessa will be your contact so long as she is not on assignment."

"On assignment?" Barry glanced at the security advisor who merely looked down at her hands.

"That's why we were meeting," said Oliver slowly, "Mr. Wayne was offering to help me regain some of my holdings."

"Who owns them right now?" asked Barry.

"Ray Palmer, CEO of Palmer Technologies," said Oliver, "Who also owns a majority of the shares of STAR Labs or at least he did until the government began bidding to acquire them from him."

"And if Mr. Queen can regain control of his assets and these shares, then General Eiling won't have an excuse to step in and dismantle Team Flash," said Vanessa, "Because right now, he is very, very interested in the activities surrounding STAR Labs, Harrison Wells, and the Flash."

"I though STAR Labs was owned by Dr. Wells," said Barry.

"Harrison Wells does own STAR Labs, but in order to have it built, Harrison Wells needed investors to get his company off the ground, one of which was Ray Palmer before both STAR Labs and Palmer Technologies began to take off. Palmer thus owns a majority share of STAR Labs while Harrison Wells owns the rights to STAR Labs. Dr. Wells has managed to keep his company thus far, but if the shares of STAR Labs fall into the hands of the government, General Eiling will be able to do a great deal of damage not just to Team Flash and Team Arrow. He could use it to completely dismantle STAR Labs as we know it and turn it into a military operated facility."

"And I still receive a most of my equipment from STAR Labs," added Oliver, "If Eiling is able to take over STAR Labs, we're all in trouble, especially you, Barry."

"Does Dr. Wells know about this?" asked Barry.

"He does," said Mr. Wayne, "He's been trying to acquire the shares himself with little results. I was going to offer to aid him myself, but he is a stubborn, prideful man. I felt that any help would have to come from someone he has met before and can trust."

"Worst case scenario: I would step in," said Vanessa, "I'd prefer to stay out of this if possible though."

"I would think Dr. Wells would trust a fellow scientist more than someone like myself," said Oliver, "I'm sure he'd appreciate your help more than mine."

"That might be true," said Vanessa, "But like I said, I would prefer not to if there is a choice."

"Meanwhile, we'll still work on helping Mr. Queen regain as such of his former assets as he can." Mr. Wayne paused as Barry's phone suddenly began to vibrate. "Do you need to get that, Mr. Allen?"

Barry glanced at the caller ID. It was Cisco. "Yeah. Sorry." He answered the phone quickly. "Cisco?"

"Barry, we've got a problem. There's a hostage situation developing at the lobby of the hotel you're in. They're looking for Ms. Jane."

Barry quickly turned on his speakerphone. "Cisco, say that again. You're on speaker this time."

"Sixteen gunmen took over the lobby about twelve minutes ago. According to the media, they're trying to find Ms. Jane."

"Which means they'll be coming up here," said Oliver firmly.

"Is that Oliver Queen?" Cisco couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. "Dude, what kind of meeting was this?"

"Mr. Ramon," interrupted Wayne, lowering his voice to a far more gravelly tone, "Are you able to access the hotel's internal systems."

"Yes. Why? Who is this?"

"That would be Batman," said Barry quickly.

"Dude! You mean-?!"

"Cisco, this is Vanessa Jane. Now I need you to focus on the crisis at hand," said Ms. Jane calmly before the scientist could continue, "We need you to shut down the elevators right now. They'll be on their way up any second now and we need time to get ready."

"Got it. I can do that." Cisco didn't reply for a minute. "Done. Looks like there's a few guys trapped in their now and the rest are still in the lobby."

"If they're that determined to get me, they'll climb out of the elevator and up from there. Now how many gunmen in each location? We need specifics." She glanced at Wayne who nodded and stepped out of the room.

"Five in the elevator. Ten in the lobby. One just went to go try to fix the elevator. I'll keep him out the best I can, but I'm no Felicity Smoak."

"The best you can is all I ask for, Cisco." Vanessa turned to Barry. "How fast can you suit up?"

Barry smirked slightly, taking off for STAR Labs and returning in seconds now in his Flash suit. "Fast."

Vanessa hide a small grin, turning to Oliver. "Mr. Queen, did you happen to bring your gear with you as well?"

"It's downstairs in my room," said Oliver.

"Go." Vanessa stepped over to the wall and accessed a safe, removing a small box. She opened it, handing an earpiece to Oliver. "Contact us when you're suited up. Barry, what frequency are you on?"

"1900 megahertz," said Cisco.

"Thank you, Cisco." Vanessa adjusted the earpiece quickly before Oliver took it. "The Bat has a plan already so he'll fill you in in a minute."

"He has a plan for this?" said Oliver, heading for the door.

"He's Batman. He has a plan for everything," said Vanessa simply. Oliver gave her a briefly look of disbelief, but left, putting in the earpiece.

Wayne returned mere moments later, donning his cowl. "Mr. Queen?"

"Getting his gear." Vanessa handed Wayne an earpiece before putting one in herself. "Cisco, we're going to hang up the phone now and we'll work with you through the Flash's frequency."

"Got it." Cisco hung up. Moments later, his voice came through on the com unit. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Cisco. Where is the rest of Team Flash?"

"Right here, Ms. Jane." Barry nodded at Vanessa and Batman as Harrison Well's voice as it came through his com unit.

"Excellent. Bats, you're on." Vanessa turned to the Batman who simply nodded back to her.

"Arrow, what is your status?"

"Ready. What's the plan?"

"We take them down. Mr. Ramon, we'll need you and the rest of your team to be our eyes and ears. Flash, Arrow, we need to free the civilians in the lobby. Vanessa, I need you to stay here."

Barry turned to the Batman, alarmed. "But they're after her."

"I'm a secondary priority, Flash," said Vanessa calmly, "If I'm not wrong, these men intend to take me alive in order to find out what I know about CCPD security, before I change it. They however will not take the same care with the rest of the people in this building. If they are bold enough to attack me here, they are capable of anything."

"Ms. Jane is right. Besides, I'm sure she can take pretty good care of herself…"

Vanessa smirked at Wells' comment. "You have no idea."

"Flash, get the civilians out of harm's way. Arrow, you and I will handle the gunmen until the Flash can disarm them." The Batman turned to Vanessa. "You have your diversions ready in case we don't return in a reasonable amount of time?"

"Always." Vanessa smiled. "Go. I'll be fine."

Barry turned to Batman who nodded. "On your mark?"

A scarce smile seemed to flicker over the Batman's stoic scowl. "Go."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Wow, it's been forever since I updated this, but I haven't forgotten about it! It took a while to get this chapter worked out and I have more worked out for other chapters. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I'm going with it because I doubt I can do anything to make it any better than it is. Please, please, please, please send me your feedback. More feedback means my muse gets brownies and works a little better. Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed. It did help get this chapter churned out a little faster than you might think.**_

_**Now, without further ado, chapter 3 of **_**Heroes****_._**

**_-BG_**

* * *

Barry was pretty sure than none of the gunmen had expected to run into the Flash, much less the Arrow and the Batman tonight. He'd blasted down to the lobby, scooping up civilians left and right, providing enough of a distraction for the gunmen that when Oliver and Batman made their entrance, the criminals were left scrambling to recover. The gunmen were putting up one hell of a fight, but Oliver and Batman clearly had the advantage in terms of hand-to-hand combat. The gunmen, however, had the advantage of, well, guns obviously. Which were becoming a bit of a problem.

"Flash, disarm these guys already!" Oliver was pinned behind a column as the gunmen fired at him relentlessly. Batman was just barely managing to stay away from their line of fire himself, but only just barely.

Barry deposited the last of the civilians outside and raced back inside, disarming the men in the blink of an eye. He decked the nearest gunman while the others were quickly set upon by Oliver and Batman. "I'll get the one in the computer room."

"Go," ordered Batman.

"Guys, he's got the elevator working already!" Cisco's panicked voice came over the com.

"I'll be ready for company," said Vanessa.

"Flash, take care of the one in the computer room and then get up to Vanessa." Batman took out a gunman about to knock out Oliver. "Go!"

Barry took off, entering the computer room and finding it empty. "He's not here."

"Oh, I'm here." Barry turned swiftly at the voice, watching as the man suddenly stepped out of main computer terminal, his body reforming out of strings of binary code. "If you think you can make it up to Vanessa Jane before I do, you're mistaken."

Barry watched in horror as the man touched the main terminal and suddenly was traveling through the cables and upwards. "You have got to be kidding me. Vanessa, you've got a computer metahuman headed your way." There was no response. "Vanessa!" Barry raced for the door only for the door to lock shut on him. He attempted to vibrate it open, failing. "Cisco!"

"I'm trying! He's locked everything down!"

"Vanessa will be able to handle him for the moment," said Batman, "We must get to her though."

"Working on it!" Barry slammed himself repeatedly at the door, feeling it begin to cave under his assault. He needed to get to Vanessa and fast.

* * *

Vanessa was relieved to have the advantage of a little time to change out of her dress and into something far more suitable for battle before the men even made it upstairs. As she had predicted, they kicked in the door to the other penthouse first. She smirked, secretly glad she had swapped the room numbers. Even a little extra time was helpful in this line of work. Vanessa stood in the middle of the room situating herself before she pressed a button on her newly fashioned gauntlets and activated her defense net. This would be fun.

* * *

The first gunman kicked in the door to the second penthouse, furious that they had lost precious time because of a stupid room number swap. He stepped in, flanked by his men and froze upon entry. Standing before them were about twenty versions of Vanessa Jane, all smiling at the men identically.

"Hello, boys." The Janes spoke in unison. "I've been expecting you."

"What sort of trick is this?" asked the man, eying each version for some clue to which was their real target.

"No trick. Just tech. A little insurance on my part. Five of you against one of me? I prefer to change the odds."

"Projections won't help you." The first man motioned for his men to charge forward with him. They'd find the real Vanessa Jane even if it meant looking like morons chasing shadows. They didn't stand a chance as they slammed into the electrical field.

* * *

Vanessa shut off the energy field the moment the men fell to the ground, limp. She checked their pulses, pleased to find them slow, but steady as she started to fit them with zip cuffs. She smirked and shut off the projections. That had been too easy.

"Ms. Jane." Vanessa whirled, seeing no one. "You think you're quite clever, don't you?"

"I could say the same of you," said Vanessa carefully, "Neat trick. So what can you do? Teleportation, invisibility, levitation?"

"Nothing so simple as that I assure you."

Vanessa heard an electrical crackle behind her and turned, spotting the man forming out of the Ethernet outlet. "Well that is new… New and challenging." She smiled. "And fantastic. A living data stream. Now how did that happen? Let me guess, you were in a computer databank when the particle accelerator incident occurred."

The man balked. "How-?"

"I'm not the world's greatest detective, honey, but I'm pretty good at figuring things out." Vanessa's grin widened. "That's so cool."

"Really?" The man looked down at his reformed body before freezing, a dawning look crossing his face before being replaced by a look of rage. "You're just trying to distract me, aren't you?"

"Oh no," said Vanessa, "I'm actually quite fascinated. But yes, I am buying time."

"Well you haven't bought enough," sneered the man.

"You sure about that?" Vanessa smirked as a red blur entered the room and plowed into the man, bowling him over. Mere moments later, she was scooped off her feet and raced out of the room, the world spinning around her until Barry finally came to a stop downstairs.

Barry set Vanessa on her feet, steadying her until the world finally stopped spinning. "Are you ok?"

"Fine. Just a little dizzy. Impeccable timing I might add." Vanessa cleared her throat, fixing her hair. "So. Living data stream metahuman. Anyone have a large data storage drive or an electromagnet?"

"Both." Vanessa looked at Bruce and gave him a thumbs-up. "What do you have in mind?"

"Either I do a nice bit of hacking and get him sucked into the drive or we have to wipe him out. If he can hack anything he wants to, he's liable to be able to hack people too. Imagine the secrets that could get loose."

Bruce exchanged a glance with Oliver Queen and Barry, considering her words. "Do whatever you have to. We'll cover you."

"Good." Vanessa leapt over the front desk and started digging into the hotel systems. "I think I can loop him out of the system and into the drive. Otherwise, I can pull him out and you guys are going to have to zap him."

Ms. Jane, might I suggest a third option?" said Dr. Wells over the com, "What if you routed him with a virus? One that could force him to remain in solid form?"

"That'd take a miracle of computer science, Dr. Wells," said Vanessa.

"I'm sure between you, Cisco and myself we could manage," said Dr. Wells, "Can you give us access to the server?"

"Hang on." Vanessa typed furiously at the computer. "Anything?"

"Got it. We're in," said Cisco, "Dr. Wells?"

"Creating a loop to trap our metahuman in until we can finalize the virus," said Dr. Wells, "Should he get out, I would advise that the three of you buy us some extra time. Electricity should be able to help you cordon the metahuman."

"So I could just run around him and generate an electrical field with my speed," said Barry.

"Theoretically, yes, but I suggest an alternative if the metahuman in question cannot be contained in this matter," said Dr. Wells, "Arrow, Batman, any suggestions?"

"Would a stun tip help?" asked Oliver as he drew one such arrow from his quiver.

"How many?" asked Bruce.

"Three."

"Unfortunately, I doubt they would have much effect," said Bruce, "His status as a living data stream could prevent him from being solid enough to allow the charge to affect him."

"But it could still at least electrify the air a little to delay him for a second or two," commented Cisco.  
"Less talking, more coding," said Vanessa, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the metahuman trickling out of the business room server. "Flash, you're on." She nodded in the general direction of the living data stream and Barry took off, racing around the metahuman fast enough to generate the electrical field, but staying far enough away from the meta to avoid being touched.

"Vanessa," said Bruce warningly.

"Working on it!" Vanessa snapped, rewriting a particular set of code, "Dr. Wells, Cisco, how's it going on your end?"

"I think we've almost got it," said Cisco.

"Almost. I'm afraid we require a bit more time that what we have to produce a proper way to send out the code," said Dr. Wells.

"I've got that covered," said Vanessa, "Bats, the drive!" Bruce tossed Vanessa the hard drive and she plugged it in to the computer. "Flash, I need you to herd him toward the computer."  
"How?" asked Barry.

"Increase your speed and use the wind to push him over toward the computer," said Bruce, "He'll take the first opportunity possible to escape the field and that needs to be the computer."

"What then?" asked Oliver.

"Then we work a little magic," said Dr. Wells, almost sounding pleased, "Ready, Ms. Jane?"

"I am if you two are, Doctor," said Vanessa, "Flash, now!"

Barry did as he had been told, increasing his speed and driving the metahuman toward the computer. The meta swiped at him, just barely missing Barry. However, he was slowly being forced closer to Vanessa and the computer despite his continuous attempts to stop Barry.

"It's working," said a female voice over the line that could only belong to Dr. Caitlin Snow.

"Not quite, Dr. Snow," said Vanessa grimly, "Flash, I need you to drop the field before you reach the computer. Arrow, how long do the charges last on those arrows?"

"A minute tops," replied Oliver.

"A minute's all I'll need," replied Vanessa, "I need you to fire one at him, pushing him closer to the computer. Bats, I need you to take another and cover my back while I do this."

"Do what exactly?" asked Oliver, pulling out an arrow for Batman and himself.

"You'll see. Flash, now."

Barry stopped running, leaving enough of a gust to push the metahuman off balance and forward just a little further until he was almost touching the computer. Oliver almost immediately fired at the metahuman's feet, forcing the meta to make contact with the computer while Bruce's arrow held the meta back from touching Vanessa.

Vanessa's fingers were immediately a blur across the keyboard, the metahuman before them letting out a short scream as he was suddenly sucked into the computer. "Dr. Wells, Cisco, activate your codes!"

"Activating," replied Dr. Wells.

"The meta is still trapped in the new data loop," said Cisco, "Ms. Jane?"

"Activating secondary code in three, two, one." Vanessa entered the final digit into the system and the computer let out a horrible shriek as the whole monitor began to race with electricity. "Hold on to your butts."

Batman yanked Vanessa down as the computer continued to spark and smoke, the electrical charge making its way to the drive before both the computer and the drive suddenly exploded in a ball of light and smoke, blinding everyone momentarily.

Vanessa coughed as she righted herself, waving back smoke. Bruce stood behind her, his posture still tense. "Did it work?"

"Flash, can you force the smoke out of here?" asked Bruce.

"Yeah," came Barry's raspy voice through the smoke, "Just give me a second…"

There was a huge gust of wind and the smoke almost instantly dispersed, allowing the trio of heroes and Vanessa to see the glowing shape of a man on the floor behind the counter. He appeared to be unconscious, a faint wisp of smoke rising from his body.

"Whoa…" Barry zipped over to the meta's side, looking the man over, but not touching him. "He's alive. Just out. I think."

"As glad as I am that the virus worked, I advise not making the assumption that this metahuman is no longer dangerous in his current," said Dr. Wells.

"Agreed," said Bruce. He pulled out a small device from his tool belt, leaning toward the metahuman to place it on the man.

In the blink of an eye, the metahuman sat up and lunged for Bruce who catapulted himself backwards and into Vanessa, the two tumbling to the floor. The meta hadn't taken another step when an arrow slammed into his shoulder, releasing a stream of electricity that sent the meta to the floor once again. This time, the man stayed down, his entire form limp.

"Guess he was still a bit conscious," muttered Barry as he glanced at Oliver who was still poised from firing off the arrow.

Bruce proceeded to pick both himself and Vanessa off the floor, carefully placing the device on the now unconscious metahuman's neck. He turned to Oliver. "Nice aim."

"Thanks," said Oliver, clearly unsure how to take the comment. He looked between the downed metahuman and the rest of the attackers that lay unconscious around them. "Did we miss anyone?"

"No, Mr. Queen, I believe all the attackers are present and accounted for save the men in Ms. Jane's room," said Dr. Wells, "Cisco?"

"No one else on the security cameras. You're good." Cisco let out a short laugh. "That was awesome."

"Lucky is the word I'd use," said Oliver. He glanced at the smoldering remains of the computer and the hard drive before he turned to Barry. "Mind taking the metahuman to the cells while we secure these men-"

The words were barely out of Oliver's mouth before Barry was gone with the metahuman and was back, looking quite winded. "So…about that dinner?"

Bruce glanced at Vanessa. "Take Flash back up to the room. You can take care of the men up there while we handle these here."

"Certainly," said Vanessa. She patted Barry's shoulder. "Let's go, Speedy. We can take the elevator."

"That'd be great," said Barry with a grimace, slowly following Vanessa to the elevator. The inventor gave Bruce and Oliver a thumbs up before the doors closed and the elevator began to rise.

* * *

Oliver plopped down in his chair once again as he and Bruce finally returned to Vanessa's room. They had secured all the men downstairs for the police to handle and had stayed out of sight until the police had finished talking to Vanessa and Barry. Their story about three superheroes coming in and saving the day had been corroborated by the many witnesses from the lobby the trio had saved. The police had questioned Vanessa and Barry briefly, but eventually left to take the attackers to the nearest police station for booking.

"So how did you know that the plan was going to work?" asked Barry, voicing Oliver's thoughts for him as the drained metahuman CSI continued to wolf down the large plate of pasta that Vanessa had ordered for him.

"Yes. How did you know?" asked Oliver, picking over his own plate of food.

"I didn't," said Vanessa Jane simply, the woman shockingly calm.

"You didn't know if it was going to work at all?" said Barry, his food now long forgotten.

"No. It was merely a theory," said Vanessa, "However, it was the best chance we had."

"And if it hadn't worked?" asked Oliver.

Vanessa shrugged. "Then we tried something else."

"But what if that hadn't worked?" Oliver watched a look cross Vanessa's face. "You're kidding."

"What?" asked Barry, looking completely confused.

"She didn't have a plan." Oliver crossed his arms, glancing at Bruce who was staying rather quiet as he ate his own meal. "But you did."

"Yes. However, I trust Vanessa's judgment. She's been working with me long enough for me to know that. She also had faith in Dr. Wells and Mr. Ramon." Bruce set down his fork quietly. "She is a good judge of character and she knew they would help. If their plan failed, I had the EMP on standby."

"Which you only would have used if the second subroutine hadn't worked," added Vanessa.

"Second subroutine?" Oliver looked to Vanessa for clarification.

"Ask Dr. Wells. He wrote it. If the initial code hadn't worked, he inlayed a secondary layer that would have activated and, from what I could tell, create a feedback loop that would have caused the metahuman's brain to 'crash' so to speak. It would have left him paralyzed until we could handle him properly."

Oliver shook his head, trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. This woman trusted Harrison Wells and Batman trusted her ability to judge a person's character. He had reason to doubt both their judgments now.

"So, you were just winging the whole thing?" said Barry.

"Yup. Well, everything after the initial plan fell through because of the metahuman, but yeah."

"Cool." Barry grinned at Vanessa who smirked at him. "You guys do this all the time?"

"Adapting to the situation as it occurs, yes. We have to. Even the best-laid plans may fail and we have to be ready to adjust the plan in order for the mission to succeed. No plan is perfect and no battle is without its surprises," said Bruce, "Something you and Mr. Queen know all too well."

Oliver nodded ever so slightly. In Wayne's context, their rather strange idea of what it meant to have a plan, or lack thereof, almost made sense. Almost. He still thought they were insane, but maybe not as insane as he had initially figured. In fact, it was probably just the right amount for them to be able to function in the world of vigilantes and villains. "Going back to our conversation before we got…distracted, I still believe that Dr. Wells may response better to Vanessa than myself."

"Why?" Asked Barry.

"I think believe that he and Vanessa here seemed to get along quite well, or at least you two seemed to over the com." Oliver gave Vanessa a look. "What do you think?"

Vanessa shrugged. "I could try it. I agree that Dr. Wells and I got on pretty well. If that will help make things work, I don't see anything wrong with giving it a shot."

"You could come visit us at the lab," said Barry.

"I agreed," said Bruce, "Dr. Wells may be more comfortable talking with you at the Lab in the first place."

"His home turf," commented Oliver.

"I'll swing by tomorrow then," said Vanessa, "I can't do anything more at the precinct until the city is done approving my security plans."

"Sounds great," said Barry. He shot Vanessa another wide grin before returning to his pasta, much to the amusement of Vanessa who chuckled softly.

Oliver rolled his eyes at his eccentric friend. Sometimes, Barry Allen just confused the crap out of him. Other days, he questioned his own sanity at having friends like Barry and apparently now Bruce Wayne and Vanessa Jane. Two out of the three were vigilantes like himself and one of them even dressed like a giant bat for cripes take. Then again, he himself did dress up like Robin Hood and shoot pointy sticks at his bad guys. Maybe he was just in denial or something.

"Then it's settled," said Bruce, rising from his seat, "Vanessa, I'm certain you can handle things from here?"

"Of course. I'll let you know if otherwise immediately," said Vanessa, "Leaving already?"

"Word on the street is that the Riddler is planning something. I need to get back to Gotham in case he makes his move."

Vanessa nodded. "Understood. Let me know if you need anything from me. And, Bruce?"

Bruce turned to his partner as he grabbed up his things. "Yes?"

"Take a nap on the plane ride back. Don't think I don't know about you having pulled three all-nighters in a row. Besides, if you don't do it on your own, Alfred will drug you again."

"Again?" Bruce frowned and Vanessa merely smirked, sipping at her glass of wine. "…fine. I'll sleep on the plane."

"Good. I'll tell Alfred to have your tonic ready just in case," said Vanessa as Bruce continued toward the door.

The slight look of shock and betrayal on Bruce's face as he left made Oliver to smirk ever so slightly Maybe he didn't mind the insanity after all.


End file.
